MAC: Mines and Communities

Themes

Introduction to Minerals

Listed below are the majority of minerals and metals, used in industrial manufacture, to build infrastructure, generate energy, wage war, or as a "store of value".

Most minerals and metals are arranged according to the raw form in which they are extracted. For example, if you need articles on "aluminium", you'll locate them under "bauxite and aluminium." Or, to get information on "titanium", go to "mineral sands." Those hugely important inputs to the building industry - such as limestone, rocks, aggregates and gravels - are listed under "Construction Materials", although marble and gypsum have separate categories.

We've also highlighted two potentially deadly items not usually regarded as deriving from mines: asbestos (a mineral) and arsenic (a metaloid).